June 4, 2004, as reported
by just-food.com: Coriander leaves, a popular ingredient
in salsas, may prove to be more than your average spice because Coriander
contains a potent compound that kills bacteria responsible for food
poisoning. According to a recent study that compound could eventually
become a tasteless food additive preventing infection.

Researchers from University of California, Berkeley, and Mexico’s
Autonomous University of Guadalajara found that coriander contains
a chemical called dodecanol that is potent in fighting against several
salmonella species.

The authors of the study published in the Journal of Agricultural
Food Chemistry said the amount of coriander consumed to protect
against bacteria needed to be high but that salsa contains at least
a dozen other less potent antibacterial compounds that may be beneficial